The Northland CAPS program is providing students with both hands-on experience and classes with curriculum in the fields of Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing, Global Business and Entrepreneurship, Medicine and Healthcare and Technology Solutions that can be taken for high school and college credit. However, current law requires the instructors of the classes, who are employed by partnering businesses, to obtain a teaching certificate to teach in public schools. This requirement results in a barrier described in the following diagram.

House Bill 97 and Senate Bill 401, often referred to as the “Visiting Scholars” legislation, allows the state board of education to issue an initial visiting scholars teaching certificate as long as the instructor:

Is employed as part of a business-education partnership; Has the appropriate education degree or occupational qualifications; Completes an application prescribed by the board; and Is subjected to a background check.

The initial certificate qualifies the instructor to teach for one year. The certificate can be renewed up to two times.

Business-Centric Curriculum (SB 44 & HB 253)

Many industries require certification, licenses, competency exams or other qualifications to work as a profession­al in their fields. While there is a need for workers in many of these fields and while there are opportunities to pursue these qualifications through education organizations, school districts currently lack the authority to offer credit for courses that teach the content of industries’ qualifications.

Senate Bill 44 and House Bill 253 require the state board of education to establish a procedure where a high school student can complete a Career and Technical Education Certification (CTEC) offering for high school credits. This offering can include:

An industry certification; • A state-issued professional license; • An occupational competency assessment; or • A CETC exam.

The legislation also establishes a process whereby industries, businesses, school districts or higher education institutions can suggest a new business qualification to be added to the list of approved CTEC offerings that can be completed for high school credit.

Flexibility for Higher Education Institutions (SB 328 & HB 758)

Missouri’s higher education institutions are limited to offering curriculum that fits within their state coordinat­ing board of education approved mission statements. While many colleges and universities may have the capacity to offer a broader range of degrees, including those that may help students gain the education and qualifications for in-demand skills, they are prohibited to do so if the institution is prohibited from awarding the degree or if the degree does not align with its board-approved mission.

Senate Bill 328 and House Bill 758 provide greater flexibility to institutions of higher education to offer cours­es and degrees that align with education qualifications that are in demand by employers. Under the legislation, community colleges are afforded the ability to offer baccalaureate degrees and applied bachelor’s degrees when an industry’s profession requires the degree; however, the ability for the institution to do so is contingent upon certain criteria and the approval of the coordinating board of education.

Similarly, the bills also allow the coordinating board for higher education to approve the ability of institutions of higher education to offer degrees outside of their board-approved missions. To receive approval, the institutions must meet certain criteria, including establishing “a clear plan to meet the articulated workforce need.”

Adult High Schools (SB 406 & HB 680)

While those that have not graduated from high school have options to obtain equivalent General Educational Development (GED) degrees, there are few options for these individuals to earn a high school diploma while gaining the necessary qualifications to work in certain fields.

Senate Bill 406 and House Bill 680 requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to grant a license to a Missouri-based non-profit organization to establish and operate four adult high schools through a competitive bidding process. Attendees of the high school are required to be at least 21 years of age. The non-profit organization operating the high schools is required to give priority to individuals that receive income-dependent assistance from the federal, state or local government. The legislation provides locations for the facilities, which include:

The City of St. Louis; Butler County or a county contiguous to Butler County; Greene County or a county contiguous to Greene County; and Boone County or a county contiguous to Boone County.

The adult high schools are required to cater to the needs of attendees by having onsite child care and by allowing the attendees to take courses at their own pace.

Additionally, the schools are required to create a comprehensive plan that aligns its curriculum with the needs of the surrounding region. – PASSED!

During the 2014 legislative session the Missouri General Assembly passed HB 1689 which provides pre-Kindergarten state funding to districts and charters through the state finance formula for public education. The Pre-K funding is for children ages 3 and 4 eligible for free/reduced lunch. Funding is capped at 4% of the districts' and charters' total number of pupils who are eligible for free/reduced lunch. Last year the Missouri General Assembly passed SB 586 which reinstates the cap on the state adequacy target for fully funding the foundation formula allowing for all school districts to access Pre-K funding starting in 2017. Concerns have been raised by many community based providers across the state that expansion of universal Pre-K without provisions allowing school districts and charters to contract with community based providers will force many providers to close their doors. Since many of these providers rely on their preschool services to help offset the higher cost to provide infant and toddler care there is a concern this will only worsen the current shortage of infant toddler care in many communities across the state. ACE Business Alliance supports legislation that will allow public school districts and charter schools to contract with community based child care providers for PreK services funded through the foundation formula.

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS)

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems are active in 43 states. QRIS provides a framework for a comprehensive early childhood system by: measuring and setting benchmarks for quality; developing infrastructures to provide targeted and coordinated quality improvement supports to programs; and providing families with useful information to help them make informed child care choices. In 2016, the Missouri Legislature passed SB 638 lifting a statutory prohibition on quality ratings for early childhood education providers across the state. SB638 creates a time-limited, voluntary pilot program that is open to center based, home based and exempt religious providers. During the next three years, several state agencies will collaborate to establish an early learning quality assurance report. While the legislation was passed it did not include any funding to support the implementation of the pilot program. ACE Business Alliance supports efforts to fund the development and implementation of an Early Childhood Program Quality Assurance Report pilot program.

Parents as Teachers (PAT)

PAT is a nationally recognized program that prepares children for school at a time when the child's brain is developing at its most rapid pace. It offers research to help parents work with their children until it's time for them go to school. Cuts in PAT programs over the past four years negatively impacted the program and have restricted the number of families PAT is able to serve each year forcing additional costs to local school districts that are attempting to address the gap in services for local families. ACE Business Alliance supports efforts to increase/restore funding for PAT and increase access for all families to participate in this nationally recognized parenting education program.

EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit)

The federal EITC provides a boost to hardworking families struggling to make ends meet. Missouri has the opportunity to join 26 other states that build on the success of the federal credit with their own state credits, which boost local economies and help create a path to the middle class. ACE Business Alliance supports efforts to improve incomes for working families, reduce poverty and strengthen the labor market.

Career and Technical Education Certification

HB 188 - Rep. Swan - Career and Technical Education Certification. The purpose of the CTEC program shall be to provide students with the necessary technical employability skills to be prepared for an entry-level career in a technical field or additional training in a technical field. ACE Business Alliance supports efforts to enhance/increase CTEC programs across the state.

Visiting Scholar Certification

HB 97 - Rep. Swan - This bill will allow the State Board of Education to grant an initial visiting scholar certificate as a license to teach in public schools. The applicant must be employed in a content area in which the individual has an academic degree or professional experience. He or she may only teach classes for ninth grade or higher and the hiring school district must verify that the applicant will be employed as part of a business-education partnership initiative designed to build career pathways systems for students. The certificate will last for one year and the applicant can renew it a maximum of two times if certain requirements, as described within the bill, are met. ACE Business Alliance supports efforts to allow a visiting scholar license to teach in public schools.

Support local proposals to fund early childhood education

Jackson and Greene county officials have expressed interest in local proposals that will be used to fund early childhood education. ACE Business Alliance supports efforts to locally fund ECE programs across the state.

Kansas

The Children's Initiative Fund (CIF)

Since 1999, Kansas has prioritized investment in its youngest citizens through the Children's Initiative Fund (CIF) and the Kansas Endowment for Youth Fund (KEY). Kansas lawmakers made a commitment to the future prosperity and growth of our state by setting aside dedicated funds for high-quality early childhood education. These funds have been managed by a highly accountable and transparent Children's Cabinet, helping to save the state future costs in education, criminal justice and public assistance. Unfortunately, repeated funding cuts and sweeps from the KEY have left our most accountable and fiscally sound programs at risk. The Governor's office and key lawmakers have recently proposed selling off the proceeds of the Master Tobacco Settlement (MTS) for a one time lump sum payment. This settlement is the single source of revenue for the CIF/KEY funds for our children. ACE Business Alliance supports restoring/maintaining the dedicated investment in quality early childhood education, opposing any plans to sell the MTS.

Full Day Kindergarten and Voluntary Pre-K

During the 2015 legislative session, the Kansas Legislature repealed the State school finance formula and replaced it with a two year block grant program. These changes were made so the legislature could work to devise a new finance formula for public education. The opening up of discussions on the development of a new finance formula also offers the opportunity to include full day Kindergarten and voluntary Pre-K as a portion of the new finance formula. Many school districts across Kansas do not currently offer full day Kindergarten programs. Full day Kindergarten and voluntary Pre-k programs cultivate successful elementary, secondary and postsecondary students. ACE supports efforts to include full day Kindergarten and voluntary Pre-K funding in the new Kansas public school foundation formula and efforts to phase-in publicly funded full day Kindergarten and voluntary Pre-K to reach more Kansas children. ACE Business Alliance supports efforts to fund full day Kindergarten and provide funding for voluntary preschool programs through the establishment of a new school funding formulary.

Parents as Teachers (PAT)

PAT is a nationally recognized program that prepares children for school at a time when the child's brain is developing at its most rapid pace. It offers research to help parents work with their children until it's time for them go to school. Facing a state budget shortfall in 2016 changes were made to how the PAT program making it federally funded. Because of this change families must meet one of 19 criteria to participate. These changes have negatively impacted the program and have restricted the number of families PAT is able to serve each year forcing additional costs to local school districts that are attempting to address the gap in services for local families. ACE Business Alliance supports efforts to restore funding for PAT and increase access for all families to participate in this nationally recognized parenting education program.

Budget

Concern over budget shortfalls between now and June 30 are on the minds of most Kansans. Early Childhood proponents have been on edge, searching for solutions beyond the previously proposed sell off of the Master Tobacco Settlement ($350MM). We are encouraged to hear that another fund may be available for liquidation in the short term budget crisis, relieving the fears of an MTS securitization. We will know more next week after preliminary budgets are released Tuesday/Wednesday.

Alliance Policy Platform 2017Posted January 9, 2017

MISSOURI

Universal Voluntary Pre-k:

During the 2014 legislative session the Missouri General Assembly passed HB 1689 which provides pre-Kindergarten state funding to districts and charters through the state finance formula for public education. The Pre-K funding is for children ages 3 and 4 eligible for free/reduced lunch. Funding is capped at 4% of the districts’ and charters’ total number of pupils who are eligible for free/reduced lunch. Last year the Missouri General Assembly passed SB 586 which reinstates the cap on the state adequacy target for fully funding the foundation formula allowing for all school districts to access Pre-K funding starting in 2017. Concerns have been raised by many community based providers across the state that expansion of universal Pre-K without provisions allowing school districts and charters to contract with community based providers will force many providers to close their doors. Since many of these providers rely on their preschool services to help offset the higher cost to provide infant and toddler care there is a concern this will only worsen the current shortage of infant toddler care in many communities across the state. ACE Business Alliance supports legislation that will allow public school districts and charter schools to contract with community based child care providers for Pre-K services funded through the foundation formula.

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS)

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems are active in 43 states. QRIS provides aframework for a comprehensive early childhood system by: measuring and setting benchmarks for quality; developing infrastructures to provide targeted and coordinated quality improvement supports to programs; and providing families with useful information to help them make informed child care choices. In 2016, the Missouri Legislature passed SB 638 lifting a statutory prohibition on quality ratings for early childhood education providers across the state. SB638 creates a time-limited, voluntary pilot program that is open to center based, home based and exempt religious providers. During the next three years, several state agencies will collaborate to establish an early learning quality assurance report. While the legislation was passed it did not include any funding to support the implementation of the pilot program. ACE Business Alliance supports efforts to fund the development and implementation of an Early Childhood Program Quality Assurance Report pilot program.

Parents as Teachers (PAT)

PAT is a nationally recognized program that prepares children for school at a time when the child’s brain is developing at its most rapid pace. It offers research to help parents work with their children until it’s time for them go to school. Cuts in PAT programs over the past four years negatively impacted the program and have restricted the number of families PAT is able to serve each year forcing additional costs to local school districts that are attempting to address the gap in services for local families. ACE business leader’s support efforts to increase/restore funding for PAT and increase access for all families to participate in this nationally recognized parenting education program.

Career and Technical Education Certification

HB 188 – Rep. Swan - Career and Technical Education Certification. The purpose of the CTEC program shall be to provide students with the necessary technical employability skills to be prepared for an entry-level career in a technical field or additional training in a technical field. ACE business leader’s support efforts to enhance/increase CTEC programs across the state.

Visiting Scholar Certification

HB 97 - Rep. Swan - This bill will allow the State Board of Education to grant an initial visiting scholar certificate as a license to teach in public schools. The applicant must be employed in a content area in which the individual has an academic degree or professional experience. He or she may only teach classes for ninth grade or higher and the hiring school district must verify that the applicant will be employed as part of a business-education partnership initiative designed to build career pathways systems for students. The certificate will last for one year and the applicant can renew it a maximum of two times if certain requirements, as described within the bill, are met. ACE business leader’s support efforts to allow a visiting scholar license to teach in public schools.

Support Local proposals to fund early childhood education

Jackson and Green county officials have expressed interest in local proposals that will be used to fund early childhood education. ACE business leader’s support efforts to locally fund ECE programs across the state.

Alliance Policy Platform 2017Posted January 9, 2017

KANSAS

The Children’s Initiative Fund (CIF)

Since 1999, Kansas has prioritized investment in its youngest citizens through the Children’s Initiative Fund (CIF) and the Kansas Endowment for Youth Fund (KEY). Kansas lawmakers made a commitment to the future prosperity and growth of our state by setting aside dedicated funds for high-quality early childhood education. These funds have been managed by a highly accountable and transparent Children’s Cabinet, helping to save the state future costs in education, criminal justice and public assistance. Unfortunately, repeated funding cuts and sweeps from the KEY have left our most accountable and fiscally sound programs at risk. The Governor’s office and key lawmakers have recently proposed selling off the proceeds of the Master Tobacco Settlement (MTS) for a one time lump sum payment. This settlement is the single source of revenue for the CIF/KEY funds for our children. ACE Business Alliance supports restoring/maintaining the dedicated investment in quality early childhood education, opposing any plans to sell the MTS.

Full Day Kindergarten and Voluntary Pre-K

During the 2015 legislative session, the Kansas Legislature repealed the State school finance formula and replaced it with a two year block grant program. These changes were made so the legislature could work to devise a new finance formula for public education. The opening up of discussions on the development of a new finance formula also offers the opportunity to include full day Kindergarten and voluntary Pre-K as a portion of the new finance formula. Many school districts across Kansas do not currently offer full day Kindergarten programs. Full day Kindergarten and voluntary Pre-k programs cultivate successful elementary, secondary and postsecondary students. Partners in Quality supports efforts to include full day Kindergarten and voluntary Pre-K funding in the new Kansas public school foundation formula and efforts to phase-in publicly funded full day Kindergarten and voluntary Pre-K to reach more Kansas children. ACE Business Alliance supports efforts to fund full day Kindergarten and provide funding for voluntary preschool programs through the establishment of a new school funding formulary.

Parents as Teachers (PAT)

PAT is a nationally recognized program that prepares children for school at a time when the child’s brain is developing at its most rapid pace. It offers research to help parents work with their children until it’s time for them go to school. Facing a state budget shortfall in 2016 changes were made to how the PAT program making it federally funded. Because of this change families must meet one of 19 criteria to participate. These changes have negatively impacted the program and have restricted the number of families PAT is able to serve each year forcing additional costs to local school districts that are attempting to address the gap in services for local families. ACE Business Alliance supports efforts to restore funding for PAT and increase access for all families to participate in this nationally recognized parenting education program.

Business Leaders Support the Children’s Initiatives Fund as an Investment in Core Values & a Skilled WorkforcePosted January 26, 2016

Business Leaders Support the Children’s Initiatives Fund Because its Accountable!

Kansas City, MO – The Alliance for Childhood Education announced this week that Linda Rallo has joined the organization to serve as its Missouri government affairs liaison and to develop a stronger presence in the St. Louis business community. Linda Rallo, a longtime champion of early childhood education, brings a background in public policy, having spent the last seven years working on legislative and policy issues in Missouri. Linda joins the Alliance as Vice President to serve as the organization’s Missouri government affairs liaison, connecting the business community with policymakers in Jefferson City and expanding the organization’s presence in the St. Louis business community. Linda comments, “I am honored to carry on the excellent advocacy work that Erin Brower performed on behalf of the Alliance and to further build a network of early childhood supporters across the Show-Me State.” In addition to joining the Alliance, Linda will serve as the Executive Director of Raise Your Hand for Kids, which serves as the funding and political advocacy arm of the Alliance. Linda previously worked as a policy analyst with Missouri Wonk, a public affairs consulting firm.

Torree Pederson, President of the Alliance for Childhood Education, believes that Linda’s policy background, commitment to education and connection to the business and donor community will help the Alliance cast a wider net of support across Missouri and will lead to better outcomes for children. “The Alliance is unique in that it is the only statewide organization compiled solely of business leaders advocating for quality education,” said Torree Pederson, President of the Alliance. “Adding Linda to our team is a sign of our continued commitment to taking a lead role in education advocacy.”

About the Alliance for Childhood Education

The Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving Kansas’ and Missouri’s education systems. Our vision is for every student in Kansas and Missouri to have access to a high-performing school and graduate with the knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary to succeed in a competitive global economy. Our strategies and tactics are guided by five core principles: life-long learning, transparency, accountability, innovation/choice and ROI.

The organization has worked to bring urban, suburban and rural business leaders to the table for our biggest asset, our children.

Alliance Policy Platform 2015Posted January 12, 2015

The Alliance for Childhood Education is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of business leaders and the only regional organization focused exclusively on education policy and systems in Kansas and Missouri. ACE promotes high‐quality education for all Kansas and Missouri children, from pre‐Kindergarten through post-secondary.

The CCDBG is the primary source of United States federal funding for child care subsidies for low-income working families and child care quality improvement. S. 1086 passed the U.S. Senate 96 to 2 and is currently awaiting approval from the U.S. House of Representatives.

During the 2014 legislative session, the Missouri General Assembly unanimously passed SB 869 which protects the $142 million CCDBG federal funds Missouri receives each year, affecting over 39,000 Missouri children. The bill requires the Department of Social Services work with statewide stakeholders, such as parents and child care providers, to establish a transparent system of quality indicators that will provide parents with a way to differentiate between child care providers. Implementation of SB 869 is contingent upon the reauthorization of the CCDBG. The sooner Congress passes S. 1086, the sooner Missouri may begin developing our own system of Missouri quality indicators.

MISSOURI

ACE SUPPORTS: Investments in high-quality early care and education programs like the Missouri Preschool Project, Parents as Teachers, Early Head Start, First Steps and Home Visitation

All Missourians benefit from voluntary early childhood education. Children start school ready to succeed, and taxpayers save money because early childhood education lowers drop-out rates, reduces crime and cuts the cost of social services

ACE SUPPORTS: Fully Funding the School Foundation Formula

During the 2014 legislative session the Missouri General Assembly passed HB 1689 which provides pre-Kindergarten state funding to districts and charters for children ages 3 and 4 eligible for free/reduced lunch. Funding is capped at 4% of the district’s and charter’s total number of pupils who are eligible for free/reduced lunch. Unaccredited schools will receive funding during the 2015/2016 school year; provisionally accredited districts will receive funding during the 2016/2017 school year; all other district funding is contingent upon full funding of the foundation formula.

The CIF will be one of the most important elements of the early education system in Kansas. The CIF funds the majority of early childhood programs, and the system of oversight for this funding source ensures that programs are evidence-based and coordinated. However, CIF funding has remained stagnant for more than half a decade resulting in a significant strain on programs and creating the need for increased funding in order to maintain current service levels. One of our top priorities will be to ensure that all CIF funding is directed to programs focused on early childhood care and education and use the money previously directed to other programs to provide an across the board increase to strengthen early childhood programs allowing them to maintain a robust level of services.

ACE SUPPORTS: Professional Development of ECE professionals

Our second priority is to enhance early literacy development by creating a new joint professional development initiative for preschool and K-3 teachers at the local level – one of a number of policies identified by a KS working group on early literacy convened by KAC in 2013/14. We will focus on securing funding and support for joint preschool and K-3 professional development in reading through the Early Childhood Block Grant. Not only will this provide funding for professional development, it will also necessitate collaboration between early childhood and K-3 teachers at the local level, which will ultimately benefit students.

New Federal Reserve Endorsement of Early EducationPosted on July 21, 2014By Jeffery M. Lacker July 13

It might not be obvious why the president of a Federal Reserve Bank would be interested in workforce development — what does it have to do with interest rates and inflation? But workforce development is intimately related to part of the Fed’s legislative mandate, which is promoting maximum employment. That has proven to be a difficult task in the wake of 2007-09 recession, as I’m sure you are all too aware.

The long-term unemployment rate remains at a historical high, and the labor force participation rate is at its lowest rate in decades. So in addition to the large number of unemployed, there are also many people who have dropped out of the labor force altogether. That has led me and other policymakers to ponder a difficult question: Given the limitations of monetary policy, what can be done to improve labor market outcomes in the long run?

At the Richmond Fed, our research suggests that much of what we’re currently seeing in the labor market reflects structural trends rather than a primarily cyclical change in labor market behavior. That has prompted us to think about long-term strategies to prepare workers for the labor market. We’ve been thinking about workforce development at the level of the individual: What can be done to improve people’s skills and adaptability, what economists call “human” capital?

To think about those strategies, it’s helpful to begin in the early 1960s, when economists began seriously studying the forces and decisions that lead people to differ in their capabilities. They proposed thinking about knowledge and skills as simply another form of capital that makes workers productive, just like physical capital such as machines or computers. Workers acquire this “human” capital by making investments, such as by attending school, getting on-the-job training or even receiving medical care.

More recently, a consensus has developed that human capital is more than just the number of years spent in school or on the job. Research suggests that noncognitive skills — such as following instructions, patience and work ethic — lay the foundation for mastering more complex cognitive skills and may be just as important a determinant of future labor market success. These basic emotional and social skills are learned very early in life, and it can be difficult for children who fall behind to catch up: Gaps in skills that are important for adult outcomes are observable by age 5 and tend to persist into adulthood.

What does the economics of human capital imply for workforce development programs? Several insights are especially relevant. First, it makes economic sense to concentrate intensive human capital investment in the form of formal schooling on the young: The earlier workers invest, thelonger they have to profit from their investments. In addition, because earnings typically increase with age, young people attending school tend to sacrifice less by way of forgone earnings than older workers. Another key takeaway is that investments in early childhood can affect later decisions about formal schooling. If the foundations for learning are laid very early, then even mild delays in acquiring noncognitive skills might make skill acquisition more challenging later in life; after all, why try as hard to get good grades, stay in high school or enroll in college when those efforts might not pay off?

Human capital economics also implies that higher education should lead to higher future wages, both because education is costly to acquire and because it can elevate a person’s productivity. Indeed, the data confirm that the payoff to education is quite high.

Just as this view of workforce development points toward investment early in life, it also points toward the challenges confronting later interventions. Asking adults to reinvent themselves in the fThe Alliance of a relatively short remaining working horizon, when early retirement and exiting the labor force become viable options, is asking a lot of both the workers and the workforce development professionals who train them. And, indeed, research suggests that workforce development efforts that focus solely on training or retraining adult workers might have only modest effects on employment and job retention.

Of course, this does not mean that adults cannot or should not learn new skills; I am deeply sympathetic to the plight of workers who have been laid off from jobs they performed admirably for decades, and I commend those who wish to complete or further their education. But we may need to be cautious about treating older workers’ difficulties as remediable through training, when the appropriate course of action may actually involve greater use of the social safety net.

We may be able to help a large number of future workers, however, by expanding our focus and thinking about workforce development not as a cure for the short-term shocks that individuals may experience, but rather as a long-term vaccine that will protect them against future shocks.

Jeffery M. Lacker is president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, whose district includes Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. This commentary is excerpted from a June 26 speech at the Lynchburg College School of Business and Economics in Lynchburg, Va.

Editorial: A brighter day dawning for day care in MissouriPosted on June 23, 2014

Missouri could be about to put two separate state agencies in plThe Alliance to oversee various aspects of day care centers in the state. That might actually be an improvement, but only if accountability is easy to track.

Right now the Department of Health and Senior Services monitors and inspects licensed and licensed-exempt child cares. But some 3,900 day cares in homes, churches and schools that receive funds through Missouri’s subsidy program are not inspected by state child care regulators.

Under legislation awaiting Gov. Jay Nixon’s signature, that would change. The Department of Social Services will get charge of those unregulated day cares that receive federal subsidies. DSS already oversees the federal subsidies; federal regulations require that it be the agency in charge of overseeing unregulated day cares.

Make no mistake about it, getting that oversight in plThe Alliance is a big deal, no matter which agency is put in charge. Senate Bill 869, sponsored by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, would close a huge loophole.

The day care subsidy program, which uses state and federal funds, paid out $149 million last year and served about 39,000 kids. About $38 million of that money — a quarter of the federal and state subsidies — went to day-care centers that had almost no state oversight or inspections.

The Post-Dispatch’s Nancy Cambria reported in a 2011 series that between 2007 and July 2011, 50 children died at unlicensed day-care facilities in Missouri. Child care advocates have been pushing ever since for a law to guarantee oversight of these facilities and to make sure minimum standards of safety and quality are being met.

The new monitoring would check for such standards and for the first time would require state visits to unlicensed facilities that accept the subsidy revenue. The rules also require the development of “quality indicators” so parents can evaluate the safety and caliber of child cares, Ms. Cambria reported late last month.

These are big steps to take in getting some assurance of quality day cares in Missouri. Advocates are particularly pleased about the quality measurement system.

It would be nice to think the Legislature passed this bill because they realized that day care in Missouri sometimes is dangerous. That might have been part of it, but Missouri also stood to lose more than $100 million in federal funding if it did not comply with federal oversight standards expected to be in plThe Alliance by fall 2015.

Child advocates are leery that DSS could have a role alongside the more experienced Department of Health and Senior Services. The advocates want input in determining standards for the quality indicators; they want more than simple rules like meeting basic fire codes. The bill’s language requires “input from statewide stakeholders such as parents, child care providers or administrators” to develop the indicator.

Erin Brower, an attorney and vice president with the Alliance for Childhood Education, one of several groups that lobbied for the new standards, says her group would like to see DSS and DHSS work together and build on the systems already in plThe Alliance with the health and senior services agency.

Ms. Brower is also concerned that DSS might contract out the work to other agencies, which she contends could weaken oversight. She wants assurances that DSS will aggressively report illegal day cares to DHSS, which does licensing and inspections.

And then there’s the money issue, always a big one in a state plagued with slow revenue growth and a Legislature still determined to cut taxes for rich people and corporate interests. Ms. Brower says the $13 million for oversight provided in the legislation might not be enough money to cover the high number of unlicensed home day cares in operation.

Ms. Brower says there also is a need for some of the money to be used to help day cares make the changes necessary to meet the quality indicator standards. “The goal is not to shut down day cares but to improve them,” she said. “The question we ask is how do we help facilities get there.”

These are valid concerns, but this legislation promises huge improvements in the way day cares have operated in Missouri. It gives parents some measures to look for when evaluating where they want to leave their kids, and it gives child care advocates leverage in working to improve day cares.

Mr. Nixon should sign this bill and insist that DSS and DHSS collaborate to make sure that kids in Missouri’s day cares get quality care.

Brownback toured Vermillion Elementary School, including two all-day-kindergarten classes, before making a speech touting his proposal to make all-day kindergarten part of every school in the state.

But a member of a special House task force scheduled to meet Wednesday said the plan for all-day kindergarten could become part of a larger and potentially more contentious change in the way schools are funded.

The Kansas Supreme Court is considering whether the Legislature is meeting its constitutional burden to suitably fund schools, and some lawmakers have proposed rewriting the entire school-finance formula if the court orders them to provide more base state funding.

Brownback told an audience of students, teachers, administrators and board members that the time to act on all-day kindergarten is now. He appeared frustrated by the Legislature’s lukewarm response to his proposal, the major goal he outlined for the year in his State of the State speech in January.

“I’m the third governor to ask for all-day-kindergarten funding,” Brownback said. “And each time it comes up, it’s like ‘well, maybe, yeah, I don’t know, OK, not’ is what ends up happening.”

Like many districts, Maize offers free half-day kindergarten, with all-day as an option for parents who can pay $225 a month for it. The district allows its free-lunch-eligible students to attend free and prorates the cost for students who are eligible for reduced-price lunches.

“We pay for half of K and all of (grade) 12, when most of the studies, if not all of the studies, actually say you’d be better off paying a lot more on the K end and less at the other end, I mean if you want to get effective with your dollars,” Brownback said.

After the speech, Brownback praised the classes he’d toured.

“They’re playing, but they’re playing at things that they’re learning, the numbers and words,” he said. “And you’re going: This is a key time to get that child’s mind really engaged in moving in a positive direction.”

Brownback proposed phasing in funding for all-day kindergarten by adding $16 million a year to the school budget for five years, ultimately adding up to an $80 million annual cost.

“This is a big commitment to do, but I think the yield on it is so important and we’re at a point in time where we can do it,” Brownback said.

The House Special Committee on All Day Kindergarten is scheduled to meet Wednesday and could propose a compromise with the governor that would reopen the formula for funding schools overall, said Rep. Steve Huebert, R-Valley Center, a member of the committee.

“The kind of money you need to do a (new) formula is the kind of money he’s talking about here,” Huebert said. “And when we did that, we could do it all together including all-day kindergarten.

“Instead of locking into how he’s got his plan written now, we’ll probably pass something this year, come back after the (November) election and in next year’s session look at the formula itself and maybe tying it all together.”

That could mean lawmakers would fund the first year of the program and then try to rewrite the school-finance formula next year.

Brownback said he couldn’t give a good answer on how the upcoming ruling in the school-finance lawsuit might affect his plans.

“It’s really getting difficult late in the session for a Supreme Court ruling this session to be able to be handled,” Brownback said. “We’re treating it like, look, we’re moving forward. … We’ll just have to see what the court rules.”

Maize administrators helped Brownback make his case for all-day kindergarten.

“We know for every dollar that we invest in our early education programs, we reap $11 later on,” said superintendent Doug Powers. “We have to go back with at-risk programs and interventions for students who have not been successful early on.”

About 275 students, roughly half of the Maize district’s kindergartners, are in all-day classes, he said.

“We still do have parents who prefer a half-day program over a full-day program, but with funding from the state, we would remove any obstacle that might be in the way of parents making that decision for their child,” he said.

One of the teachers whose classes Brownback visited said all-day kindergarten is challenging and she’s thankful for parent volunteers who help in the classroom.

“Every day is something a little different,” Lindsey Vincent said. “They change so much day to day from where they start at the beginning of the year. It’s incredible.”

Growing Business Leader Organization Strengthens Across Kansas and Missouri

Kansas City, MO – The Alliance for Childhood Education (http://www.The Allianceinvests.org) announced today that Erin Brower has been hired as our Missouri government affairs liaison, connecting the business community with policymakers in Jefferson City.

Erin is a Kansas City native and a passionate child advocate. She received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Kansas majoring in Philosophy and Sociology, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Law, where she served as Articles Editor for The Urban Lawyer. Erin is on the Board of Directors of The Family Conservancy serving as Vice Chair Resource Development; Operation Breakthrough’s Advisory Board and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Prior to joining the Alliance, Erin worked as the Director of Advocacy & Public Policy for Partnership for Children. In April 2013, the Missouri Times named Erin one of the 100 People in Missouri Politics and Political Media You Need to Know.

Torree Pederson, President said “Erin’s track record in Jefferson City coupled with her passion for quality education make her a perfect fit. We view this appointment as a sign of our commitment to taking a lead role in bringing the business voice to education.”

About Alliance for Childhood Education

The Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving Kansas’ and Missouri’s education systems. The Alliance vision is that every student in Kansas and Missouri has access to a high performing school and graduates with the knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary to succeed in a competitive global economy. Toward that our strategies and tactics are guided by four core principles: Life-Long Learning, accountability, innovation and choice.

The organization is firmly established across the states of Kansas and Missouri. The organization has worked to get urban, suburban and rural business leaders to come to the table for both state’s biggest asset, our children.

Education & Awareness

As the movement towards investing in early childhood gains traction, it's important to familiarize yourself with research and findings that support changes to Missouri's current state policy. Here are some online sources that will help you learn more: